MARKEDLY DISTURBED GLUTATHIONE REDOX STATUS IN CD45RA(-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 INFECTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH SELECTIVE DEPLETION OF THIS LYMPHOCYTE SUBSET()CD4(+) LYMPHOCYTES IN HUMAN)

We investigated the percentage of CD45RA(+) and CD45RO(+) T cells in p eripheral blood and the intracellular glutathione redox balance in the se lymphocyte subsets in patients with human immunodeficiency virus ty pe 1 (HIV-1) infection and healthy controls, In HIV-l-infected patient s there was a preferential depletion of CD45RA(+)CD4(+) cells, which w as most pronounced in symptomatic patients, In CD4(+) lymphocytes from HIV-l-infected patients the glutathione abnormalities were clearly mo st pronounced in the CD45RA(+) subset with a marked increase in level of oxidized glutathione and decreased ratio of reduced to total glutat hione as the major characteristics. These abnormalities were shown in CD45RA(+) CD4(+) lymphocytes from both symptomatic and asymptomatic pa tients, whereas similar abnormalities in CD45RA(+) CD4(+) cells were f ound only in symptomatic patients, The glutathione abnormalities in CD 45RA(+)CD4(+) lymphocytes were significantly correlated with low numbe rs of total CD4(+) lymphocytes, decreased proportion of CD45RA(+)CD4() lymphocytes, and raised serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha. In the CD8(+) lymphocytes a decrease in both proportion and absolute numbers of CD45RA(+) cells was found, with markedly increased level of oxidized glutathione and decreased ratio of reduced to total glutathi one in this subset, These findings suggest that glutathione redox dist urbances in CD45RA(+) T cells may be of pathogenic importance for the preferential depletion of this subset considered to represent naive T cells, during HIV-1 infection. (C) 1996 by The American Society of Hem atology.